offside.hkhttp://www.offside.hk
Hong Kong's First English Football MagazineThu, 21 Mar 2019 15:44:30 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.2Title chase heats up as Kitchee beat R&Fhttp://www.offside.hk/league/title-chase-heats-up-as-kitchee-beat-rf/
http://www.offside.hk/league/title-chase-heats-up-as-kitchee-beat-rf/#respondWed, 20 Mar 2019 07:31:48 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13712Another exciting round went by on March 16th and 17th, as the top-four shuffle their places once again in the Hong Kong Premier League. Kitchee’s win against R&F kept them in the title race, while both Tai Po and Southern benefited from the defeat of the Guangzhou team to climb above them in the table. Relegation threatened Lee Man savaged a point at Yuen Long after they were down to ten man early in the match, and Eastern finally could celebrate their first league win in two months. Zinc Yeung with the round-up of this memorable weekend.

The match of the week saw Kitchee defeating R&F 2-3 in Guangzhou. Tiago de Leonço had a chance to open the scoreline in the twelfth minute, but his shot was blocked by Wang Zhenpeng. Krisztian Vadocz’s attempt from outside the box two minutes later was well saved by Zhou Yuchen. Nonetheless, the Bluewaves got the lead in the 22nd minute, when Lucas’ pass found Fernando in a counter attack, and the Brazilian winger calmly placed the ball past Zhou.

The current Premier League champions extended their lead 12 minutes into the second half, when Ju Yingzhi got past Roberto Affonso to blast the ball into the top of the net. However, a brace in just thre minutes from Giovane da Silva leveled the score for R&F. The naturalized forward beat Wang Zhenpeng after Matt Smith failed to clear the ball in the 65th minute. The Australian defender protested that he was pushed by da Silva, but the referee let the goal stand. Three minutes later, Giovane da Silva’s close range shot after a corner equalized for R&F. But Kitchee got their lead back in the 73rd minute when Fernando’s cross found Lucas unmarked who scored the crucial winner for the Bluewaves. The three points keep Kitchee in the title race, while R&F lost their position as first contenders.

Meanwhile, title aspirants Southern managed a win over Dreams. The Aberdeeners had a couple of chances, but Roberto Fronza’s header in the 12th minute was saved by To Chun-kiu. Not long after, Nacho Martinez’ shot was blocked by Lau Hok-ming, while Marko Krasic’s close range header went wide in the 36th minute. Eventually, the first half ended with neither side being able to open the scoreline.

Nonetheless, Southern remained in control of the second half. James Ha’s shot in the 73rd minute went over the bar. One minute later, Dhiego Martins’s cross fell again to James Ha whose shot was initially blocked and Michael Luk’s follow-up went wide eventually. Southern finally broke the deadlock in the 85th minute, when the Dreams defense failed to clear Michael Luk’s corner which eventually fell to Wellingsson de Souza who headed in from close range, winning the match for the Aberdeeners.

On Saturday evening, Tai Po came from behind to beat Pegasus 2-1. Despite playing 120 minutes on Wednesday in the successful AFC Cup qualifying match against Ryomyong, Tai Po appeared mentally unaffected and remained active during the match. The Greens had a chance early on, with Dudu’s header going just above the bar. However, the Flying Horsemen took the lead in the 25th minute when Law Hiu-chung’s freekick was headed in by Rosen Kolev, which was the first Pegasus goal for the Bulgarian defender. Yuen Chun-sing had another chance later, but his shot went wide. Meanwhile, Igor Satori’s shot in the 44th minute was cleared off the line by Law.

Tai Po had several chances in the second half in an attempt to turn the game around. Michel Lugo had a few opportunities from outside the box but failed to find the target. Igor Satori equalized for the Greens in the 65th minute when the Brazilian forward hit a beautiful shot to the top right corner of the net. Eight minutes later, Lee Ka-ho’s brilliant freekick went past Leung Hing-kit and off the post to complete the comeback for Tai Po. Pegasus had limited chances afterwards and the match ended with the Greens climbing to the top of the league.

On Sunday, March 17th, Eastern ended their win-less run with a comfortable victory over relegation favorite Hoi King. Everton put Eastern up front just six minutes into the match, when Lam Ka-wai’s header set up the Brazilian forward who put the ball past Paulo Cesar. Chris Annan had a chance two minutes later, but his shot was saved by Yapp Hung-fai. In the 38th minute, Everton’s cross found Manuel Bleda whose header went in off the post, giving Eastern a two-goal lead as the first half ended. Eastern further extended their dominance in the second half. Everton’s cross in the 63rd minute found Lam Ka-wai, who set up Lima Pereira to tap the ball into an empty net. Three minutes later, Lee Hong-lim’s cross found Bleda for a close range shot past Paulo Cesar. The Spanish striker completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute when he controlled a Lam Ka-wai shot from outside the box and calmly placed it into the far post. The match ended with a 5-0 win for Eastern.

In the final match of the round, Hoi King’s relegation rivals Lee Man savaged a point at Yuen Long Stadium. The Bees had a great start when Michaël N’dri’s shot went pass Chan Ka-ho just three minutes into the match. However, Lee Man soon after took a blow when Yu Wai-lim, being last man in defense, pulled down Diego Moser and was given a red card. Chan Kwong-ho had a chance to equalize in the 13th minute. The local winger tried to lob Lee man goalkeeper Pang Tsz-kin, but the ball went over the bar. Nevertheless, the Tangerines leveled the score in the 20th minute, when Kwok Tsz-kaai put in a cross after going past Fong Pak-lun, which was headed in by Diego Moser.

Despite Yuen Long having the advantage in numbers and 70% of the ball, it was the Bees who looked more likely to score shortly after the second half started. N’dri’s header hit the crossbar after a save by Chan Ka-ho. Later in the match, Yuen Long put on Caleb Ekwegwo and Tommy Chuck Yiu-kwok in hope of a win, and they indeed went ahead in the 80th minute, when Fabio Lopes’ cross found Caleb who hit a brilliant volley to put Yuen Long 2-1 in front. But the Tangerines failed to keep their lead until the final whistle. In the 89th minute, Lee Man captain Fran González’ header found Stefan Pereira who equalized for the Bees.

After the 14th round, R&F dropped to third following their loss to Kitchee, while Tai Po claimed the top position. Southern are just one point behind the Greens. Meanwhile Kitchee are fourth at 27 points, just two points less than leaders Tai Po which means there is still a chance for the Bluewaves to defend their Premier League title. On the other end of the table, Hoi King remain at the bottom, although Lee Man are just three points ahead.

]]>http://www.offside.hk/league/title-chase-heats-up-as-kitchee-beat-rf/feed/0Tai Po progress to AFC Cup group stagehttp://www.offside.hk/afc/tai-po-progress-to-afc-cup-group-stage/
http://www.offside.hk/afc/tai-po-progress-to-afc-cup-group-stage/#respondThu, 14 Mar 2019 10:42:41 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13704Urged on by the roar of 4,434 fans at Mong Kok Stadium, Tai Po edged out Ryomyong on penalties after 120 minutes of stalemate on Wednesday night, and booked their place in the AFC Cup group stage for the first time since 2010.

The first leg in the North Korea ended with a nil-nil draw, which was favorable for Tai Po playing the return match at home, at least on paper. However, Tai Po played a grueling game in the rain against Lee Man in the league just days before the second leg, and that was bound to have some effect on the physical and mental sharpness of the players.

One day before the game, coach Lee Chi-kin revealed during the press conference that first team regulars Lee Ka-yiu and Sandro came down with Influenza B; coupled with Igor Sartori also battling sickness, fatigue and niggling injuries from a long season. Nonetheless, the mood around the Greens camp was upbeat. Supporters of the New Territories side were confident their team could do just enough at home to progress in the competition.

When the night of the game finally arrived, people flocked in droves to the stadium. The grass was smooth, the stadium bright, and the fans hungry for a good showing from the home side. Nearly everything was perfect (except for an overburdened ticket office) and tensions were palpable as the teams made their entrance onto the pitch.

Both clubs flew out of the traps from the opening whistle at 8 pm sharp. It didn’t take long for Tai Po to register an attempt on goal, as Leung Kwun-chung let loose a belter that was blocked by the opposition keeper eight minutes in. João Emir took a crack at goal as well a minute later, but the effort was well off-target.

Ryomyong contained many young players that were expected to step into the DPR Korea national team in the future, and just like the first leg, their energy and eagerness was on full display. The Greens, however, stuck resolutely to the game plan, stifling many dangerous balls before launching one counterattack after another.

Try as they might, the players and fans couldn’t find a way past the defense of the North Korean league runners-up in the first half. A few golden chances came and went, the final touches just tricking past the wrong side of the post. The stalemate continued into the break.

The second half was underway and Tai Po’s Chan Siu-kwan nodded Igor’s corner cross just wide of the left upright, while Sandro’s shot was smothered by the North Korean goalkeeper. The frustration around the stadium was building from both ends and amongst the supporters, who were perhaps more determined than the team to not give their North Korean counterparts an inch of space. Both teams were beginning to flag from the exertion, but they battled on.

Perhaps fearing that Ryongyong were marginally fresher in the second half, Harrison Sawyer, Chung Wai-keung and Jean-Jacques Kilama were all introduced late into the game to try to pin back the opposition. Although all three players ran themselves ragged, the teams could not be separated still.

Extra time came, and went. Ryomyong players were struggling with legitimate cramps, and the Greens were panting just as hard. The match had no other option but to turn to penalties.

The fans called for silence as Igor Sartori stepped up to take the first penalty. The mercurial winger had a knack for scoring spectacular goals, and did not disappoint the fans as he placed the ball into the top left corner, giving the keeper no chance. So far, so good in a nervy situation!

Ryomyong’s turn, and Tsang Man-fai earned the glory of the night with a save. The shot lacked power and the Tai Po keeper leapt to his right to block with his palm. The save buoyed the home side and the away side suddenly faced immense pressure to stay in the tie.

Joao Emir and Eduardo Praes put their penalties away with aplomb, Emir placing his nearly identical to Igor. Praes took a long winding run-up, and his powerful shot sneaked just under the keeper and into the back of the net. The North Korean custodian must have kicked himself afterwards when Harry Sawyer’s penalty was a mirror to Praes’.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong fans rushed behind the goal, and every time a Ryomyong player would step up, phone lights flashed into life and shone onto the pitch in a cheeky attempt to put the visiting players off their game. It’s as if a real concert of Leon Lai was taking place, and the fans were just waving along to the music.

Unfortunately, the visitors duly put away their penalties as well, and nervousness returned to the ground. Up steps Sandro, and a hush fell. Bothered by sickness and laboring with injury, fans were wondering if there would be a repeat of the penalty miss by the tall Brazilian Hong Kong international.

But the ex-Kitchee hitman wouldn’t miss again, and his decisive penalty took Tai Po back into the AFC Cup group stages after a near 10-year absence. Tai Po are placed in Group I, alongside Kitchee, DPR Korea champions April 25, and Taiwanese minnows Hang Yuen FC. The Greens will take on Kitchee first as the “away” team in Mong Kok Stadium on April 3rd.

]]>http://www.offside.hk/afc/tai-po-progress-to-afc-cup-group-stage/feed/0Episode 99 – Tight at the Tophttp://www.offside.hk/hk-football-podcast/episode-99-tight-at-the-top/
http://www.offside.hk/hk-football-podcast/episode-99-tight-at-the-top/#respondWed, 13 Mar 2019 08:09:28 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13702Can R&F defend their top position against Kitchee? Will Chuck Yiu-kwok get Yuen Long’s “party started”? And what happened to that FIFA friendly?

James Legge and Tobias Zuser discuss all the latest action in the Premier League and the Sapling Cup. They also talk about Tai Po’s chances to qualify for the AFC Cup, and what local football fans can actually do in the upcoming international FIFA break.

Share your opinions with us at podcast@offside.hk and follow us at www.instagram.com/hong_kong_football_podcast/

DON’T MISS A NEW EPISODE ANY MORE: Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes or any other podcast platform by searching for “Hong Kong Football Podcast” in the directory.

]]>http://www.offside.hk/hk-football-podcast/episode-99-tight-at-the-top/feed/0Tai Po rise to 2nd as R&F and Southern share pointshttp://www.offside.hk/league/tai-po-rise-to-2nd-as-rf-and-southern-share-points/
http://www.offside.hk/league/tai-po-rise-to-2nd-as-rf-and-southern-share-points/#respondMon, 11 Mar 2019 16:28:37 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13687An extra time equaliser from Lau Hok-ming helped Southern to draw with league leaders R&F, while Kitchee and Taipo earned wins to create an ever closer title race between the top four, with only five rounds remaining.

The 13th round of the Hong Kong Premier League kicked off with the table-top clash between Southern and R&F. The Guangzhou side started off lively when Tiago de Leonco won a freekick at the edge of the box, and his subsequent curling attempt went in off the post to bring R&F ahead after just five minutes. Giovane da Silva doubled R&F’s lead three minutes later, as he tapped in Itaparica’s cross. In the 30th minute, Nikola Komazec scored with a left-footed volley, follwing a cross from Sham Kwok-fai, to crawl one back for the home team. However, Southern were forced to make all their substitutions due to injuries just before the half-time whistle. In the 54th minute, Lau Hok-ming’s cross from the right was handled by Leung Nok-hang at the edge of the box, and after discussions between all four officials, a penalty was given to Southern. Nikola Komazec made no mistake from the spot to net his second of the day to equalise for the Aberdeeners. In the 64th minute, Michael Luk’s long range attempt almost caught Zhou Yuchen, but it was R&F who restored the lead a few moments later through Robert Affonso’s half volley, as Tiago de Leonco’s freekick was deflected off the wall straight to him. Nonetheless, Lau Hok-ming sent the home crowds wild as he headed home from a corner to equalise for Southern in the 2nd minute of added time to ensure both teams went home with a point.

Heavy monsoon rain arrived at Tsing Yi just a few minutes after the kick off, therefore it took Dreams and Kitchee some time adjust to the difficult pitch conditions. However, 28 minutes into the game, Kitchee broke the deadlock through a short corner to Dani Cancela, whose pinpoint pass was met by Krisztian Vadocz’s head at the far post to make it 1-0. Just six minutes later, Lucas sent a pass to Fernando inside the box, who put the ball past the keeper. Dreams came close towards the end of the first half with attempts from Diego Higino and Nacho Martinez, but were denied by Kitchee’s defense. The reigning champions continued to press on in the second half, and found their third goal when Fernando’s cross from the left was headed in by Lucas. With seven minutes remaining, Tong Kin-man recovered a lost ball inside the Dreams box and found Yuto Nakamura, who smashed it into the top of the goal. Three minutes later, Josip Tadic fired in Kitchee’s fifth from twelve yards out. Krisztian Vadocz finished the scoring with a curler from just outside the box in the 89th minute for Kitchee’s sixth and final goal of the night.

Riding on the last minute victory over Kitchee in the Sapling Cup last weekend, Lee man started off strongly against Tai Po in Tseung Kwan O, but their chances were well taken care of by the defense. Instead it was the visitors taking the lead in the 33rd minute when Wong Wai’s 35 yards free-kick on the right flank was met by Philip Chan’s head at the far post. Just before half time, Baek Ji-hoon received two bookings within five minutes, bringing Lee Man down to 10 men for the rest of the game. Michel Lugo then had the chance to double the score, but his attempt went just wide. Returning from the break with a one-man advantage, Tai Po scored another goal as Igor Satori slashed a shot from the left to the bottom corner of the net past the keeper in the 66th minute. Seeing Philip Chan and Sandro’s further attempts going just off target, the final score remained 2-0 for the Greens, which put them in second place of the Hong Kong Premier League, leapfrogging league rivals Southern.

The final match of the round between Yuen Long and Hoi King was also affected by a water-logged pitch. Nonetheless, the game was mostly dominated by the Tangerines, as Law Chun-ting, Chan Kwong-ho and Fabio Lopes forced saves from Paulo Cesar. In the 32nd minute, Jean Moser found the back of the net as Law’s looping cross into the box was not cleared on time. Three minutes into the second half, Hoi King leveled the score, when Kim Min-ki worked down the sidelines on the left and found Sun Ming-him, who quickly slotted the ball home. In the 56th minute, it was Kim again down the right, though this time putting in a cross, which Robert just narrowly missed at the far post. Nine minutes later, Yuen Long’s Cleiton came close with a shot that was deflected off Chan Man-chun, going just wide of the goal. In the 70th minute, Robert’s free-kick near the corner flag found Chris Annan at the far post, whose shot was cleared off the line by Chan Pak-hang. Nonetheless, the Tangerines pressed for the winner and in the 85th minute, substitute Chuck Yiu-kwok dribbled down the left before sending a cross that found Jean Moser, whose shot hit the post and got cleared by Hoi King’s defense. However, the winner finally came when captain Fabio Lopes chested down a cross from Moser and put it past the keeper with only a single minute remaining on the clock. Yuen Long’s 2-1 win over Hoi King puts the latter in even greater relegation distress.

With five rounds remaining, the top are now R&F (1), Tai Po (2), Southern (3), and Kitchee (4) – in that order – each of them only separated by one point. The narrow win of Yuen Long over Hoi King saw them overtaking Dreams to seventh and further away from relegation, whilst Hoi King remained at the bottom, still trailing two points behind Lee Man.

Eastern and Pegasus have played their fixture in the previous week, which ended 2:2.

]]>http://www.offside.hk/league/tai-po-rise-to-2nd-as-rf-and-southern-share-points/feed/0Ready for more: Tai Po count on home advantagehttp://www.offside.hk/afc/ready-for-more-tai-po-count-on-home-advantage/
http://www.offside.hk/afc/ready-for-more-tai-po-count-on-home-advantage/#respondMon, 11 Mar 2019 16:05:24 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13691On March 6th, 2019, Tai Po held North Korean league runners-up Ryomyong SC to a 0-0 draw away in Pyongyang. Now the New Territories side is rearing to return to the AFC Cup after a nearly 10-year-wait, with the decisive return leg just around the corner. The match will kick off on Wednesday, March 13th, 8pm, at Mong Kok Stadium.

Tai Po played away to North Korean side Ryomyong SC in Pyongyang on an overcast afternoon, on March 6th. To get to the isolated country, the Greens first had to fly to Beijing before making the trip into the top half of the Korean peninsula.
The weather was cold and dry, the surface hard and slippery, and travel fatigue was settling in. There was no official broadcast available, but luckily the staff of Tai Po kindly transcribed the events on the pitch.

Despite the difficulties, the Hong Kong side nearly opened the scoring in the first five minutes of the contest, with Australian striker Harry Sawyer firing a quick shot on goal. But he missed the target as the ball sailed just above the crossbar. Two minutes later, Igor Sartori broke through from the left and crossed into the center for Sandro, but the Hong Kong international was denied by the post. Ryomyong, having withered the early pressure, began to stretch the wings to look for a way in. With an average age of 21, the Koreans looked well organized, and it has been suggested that the team may be very much a U23 national team. However, the Greens stood firm. Ryomyong nearly took the lead in the 38th minute with a dangerous header, but Eduardo Praes was in front of goal to clear away the danger. In return, Wong Wai and Sartori were both denied in the dying embers of the first half by North Korean goalkeeper Ri Chol-song, and the teams retreated at half time all even.

The second half resumed and the most notable effort from the hosts was a header by midfielder Kim Kuk-Bom that rattled the post. As Ryomyong’s youngsters visibly began to tire, Tai Po started turning the screws and threw on fresh legs, with Lee Ka-yiu working the wings while Philip Chan Siu-kwan anchored the midfield.

The 84th minute saw Lee Ka-yiu place a sublime cross to Sandro, but the shot was wayward. The chance at a last-minute goal was thus gone. Both teams finished all square, with the Hong Kong footballing world waiting with bated breath for the return leg in Mong Kok on March 13th. Tickets are sold for HK$ 80, and can be purchased either on match day or via cityline.com.

After all, Tai Po coach Lee Chi-kin was satisfied with the result. Given the physical reputation of North Korean teams, he was glad to see his team had a few great chances playing away. On the following weekend, Tai Po completely focused on their Premier League encounter with Lee Man, which they won 2-0.

Captain Wong Wai was similarly upbeat, and believed that the lack of match experience of their young opposition worked in favour of the Hong Kong side. He praised the concentration of his teammates, as well as the 3000-strong local crowd that came to watch the game.

This is bound to be a cracking return leg, and we hope to see more people there to push the Greens on to the group stage!

]]>http://www.offside.hk/afc/ready-for-more-tai-po-count-on-home-advantage/feed/0C.P.K. confirm dominance in Macau leaguehttp://www.offside.hk/macau/giant-win-confirms-c-p-k-superiority-in-macau/
http://www.offside.hk/macau/giant-win-confirms-c-p-k-superiority-in-macau/#respondMon, 11 Mar 2019 12:00:10 +0000http://www.offside.hk/?p=13683The Macau Elite League reached the first third of the season, and after six rounds C.P.K. are comfortable leaders, followed by Ka I. Meanwhile, reigning Macau champions Benfica lost more ground with another defeat.

After an unspectacular 5th round, in which all favorites won their respective matches, the latest round saw some unexpected results. League leaders C.P.K. thrashed Macau U2314-0, splitting the score evenly into seven goals in each half. Danilo Lins was man of the match as he found the back of the net five times. Leong Tak Wai (3), Pang Chi Hang (2), Diego Patriota, Bruno Figueiredo, Kou Ut Cheong and Ho Ka Seng scored the remaining goals. This big win should further boost the confidence of C.P.K., which was already flying high after their win against Benfica in Round 4.

The latter continue to struggle, as they suffered another defeat. This time Benfica lost 1-3 to Ching Fung, with a hat-trick by former Benfica striker William Gomes. Ching Fung started into the match with a high pace, scoring the first goal in the second minute and doubling the score at minute 10. Benfica tried to reorganize, but failed to convert their chances. They only reduced the margin in the second half through player/coach Cuco in the 80th minute. However, Ching Fung continued to pressure and scored their third goal in the dying minutes of the game. The match ended with some controversy, as both Benfica coach Cuco and Ching Fung striker William Gomes were sent off. With this result Benfica Macau are already eight points behind C.P.K. in the fourth position. Ching Fung regained some confidence and are now in third, six points behind leaders C.P.K.

Meanwhile, Ka I managed to keep the second place with a difficult 3-1 win over Monte Carlo. With this result Ka I maintain the pressure on C.P.K., as they are just four points behind. Monte Carlo are in 5th, sharing the same points (10) with Benfica.

Sporting Macau celebrated a convincing 4-0 win against Policia, softening the pressure after suffering three defeats in a row. Sporting are now sixth with six points, the same as Hang Sai who defeated Tim Iec in the last game of the round by 3-2. At the bottom of the table are Macau U23 with only three points thus far.

The match of the week in the coming round is the top of the table clash betweeen C.P.K. and Ka I, which can be the perfect opportunity for the latter to close the distance to the league leaders, but it can also be an early title decider if C.P.K. win and extend the lead to 7 points. Given the lopsided quality of the Macau league, this would be difficult to recover. In the remaining matches, Monte Carlo face Sporting Macau and Hang Sai play against Macau U23. Struggling Macau champions Benfica take on Policia, while Ching Fung face Tim Iec.